Between 2010 and 2011, California experienced a drastic 20 percent decrease in juvenile crime--bringing the underage crime rate to the lowest level since the state started keeping records in 1954.

According to a recently released study, much of that improvement can be credited to the decriminalization of marijuana.

The study, entitled "California Youth Crime Plunges to All-Time Low" and released by the San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, looked at the number of people under the age of 18 who were arrested in the state over the past eight decades. The research not only found juvenile crime to be at its lowest level ever but, in the wake of then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signing a bill reducing the punishment for possessing a small amount of marijuana from a misdemeanor to simply an infraction, the drop in rates was particularity significant.

In that one-year period, the number of arrests for violent crimes dropped by 16 percent, homicide went down by 26 percent and drug arrests decreased by nearly 50 percent.

The category of drug arrests showed decreases in every type of crime; however, the vast majority of the drop resulted from far fewer arrests for marijuana possession. In 2010, marijuana possession accounted for 64 percent of all drug arrests, and in 2011, that number decreased to only 46 percent.

California's drop in serious youth crime has decreased faster than in the rest of the nation.

The study's authors discount a host of explanations as to why juvenile crime has dropped so precipitously (such as changes in the way the statistics are gathered, demographic changes, harsher sentences acting as a deterrent and other cultural factors like family connections). They a.ssert that only two major factors explain the trend: the loosening of marijuana laws and improvements in the economic well-being of California's youth.

AlterNet reports:

California’s 2010 law did not legalize marijuana, but it officially knocked down "simple" possession of less than one ounce to an infraction from a misdemeanor--and it applies to minors, not just people over 21. Police don’t arrest people for infractions; usually, they ticket them. And infractions are punishable not by jail time, but by fines--a $100 fine in California in the case of less than one ounce of pot.

"I think it was pretty courageous not to put an age limit on it," said Males, a longtime researcher on juvenile justice and a former sociology professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Arresting and putting low-level juvenile offenders into the criminal-justice system pulls many kids deeper into trouble rather than turning them around, Males said, a conclusion many law-enforcement experts share.

"We haven't seen this low of a number since 1970," Sacramento County Chief Probation Officer Don Meyer told Rosemont Patch. "We now get an average of seven [juveniles] a day, and that's come down from 20 a day."

The study's authors discount a host of explanations as to why juvenile crime has dropped so precipitously (such as changes in the way the statistics are gathered, demographic changes, harsher sentences acting as a deterrent and other cultural factors like family connections). They a.ssert that only two major factors explain the trend: the loosening of marijuana laws and improvements in the economic well-being of California's youth.

Anything to dilute or discredit the fact legalizing would be a good thing for these types of numbers in general. Not to long ago if you smoked weed it would "ruin" your life and if your were caught by the police you could go to jail and have your life ruined.

How is it that the economic future is better? I wonder what numbers exactly went up? If any of you have info please post it.

Plus, kids shouldn't be using pot....humans brains are still developing until around the age ranges of 22-25.

3 years ago

class of '04 - away - #4

getyagameup24

Senior Member

$4,027 |r POWERFUL

the really bad thing about this now is that police are going to start looking for other sh*t to arrest kids and people for. they have to keep their numbers up too. good statistic for anti drug war advocates. if they legalized everything then this might lower violent crime in general, especially when it relates to drugs.

3 years ago

class of '08 - away - #5

4sonsofHorus17

Shroomed to Wonderland

$1,166 |r 12468615

getyagameup said:

the really bad thing about this now is that police are going to start looking for other sh*t to arrest kids and people for. they have to keep their numbers up too. good statistic for anti drug war advocates. if they legalized everything then this might lower violent crime in general, especially when it relates to drugs.

Should have been advocated five years ago when people started crying foul about budgets and idiotic spending, There shouldn't be a bad side to this because the boys SHOULD be looking for the hard crimes instead of MJ, Tax Dollars put in the right direction, It's all a game of Thrones ppl invest in the west while the conservatives get paid under the table too it's a jest

3 years ago

class of '06 - away - #6

Cezaroh

Hollywood Nights

$8,114 |r 16337536

Motherfu*kers gave a ticket for possession for having more than a once all they want is money

3 years ago

class of '10 - away - #7

ghettofire

The Retirement Home

$25,960 |r POWERFUL

3 years ago

class of '06 - away - #8

Drumatic50

G0 G3tta

$4,786 |r 11522078

Check this out...

1916 Dept of Agriculture Bulletin Number 404: to get 25 tons of of paper grade pulp/hurds in 1 year you would need 10,000 acres for hemp vs. 40,500 acres of wood

Hemp based plastic was used in the first plastic car in 1941, developed by Henry Ford which was touted as 50% lighter and 10x stronger than steel. Google, "Popular mechanics december 1941".

Hemp House - Asheville, NC
Awesome video of why a house of hemp is more reliable than an average house. If your lazy, here are some times. I highly suggest watching this video if you think hemp(um marijuana) are not beneficial.
3:50
6:00 until the video ends.

You can pretty much find alot of things if you google them. Thats just a house and a car. God damn crime rate went down, what else do you want dammit

3 years ago

class of '05 - away - #9

foshomoney76

lames love lames #KC

$24,953 |r POWERFUL

I know every republican in the world gonna f!ght this now. You know they wanna fill them jails. These studies are stupid though. All that time and money, guess they never heard of a peace pipe

3 years ago

class of '11 - away - #10

Backflipz82

Thr33sus Christ

$12,482 |r POWERFUL

Just completed an 8 page paper on Decriminilization for a final grade at college, it feels good seeing the points I made actually work in real life

3 years ago

class of '12 - away - #11

RikkyBeezy24

FERRARI BOI

$367 |r 922703

I was arrested for weed as a youngin

Last edited by RikkyBeezy24; 11-30-2012 at 10:17 PM..

3 years ago

class of '11 - away - #12

GrindPOWER$293

Some Money> No Money.

$11,928 |r POWERFUL

getyagameup said:

the really bad thing about this now is that police are going to start looking for other sh*t to arrest kids and people for. they have to keep their numbers up too. good statistic for anti drug war advocates. if they legalized everything then this might lower violent crime in general, especially when it relates to drugs.

hey hey smoke weed every day lol..yeah these cops gotta mak quote so speeding tickets and petty theft going to be high on their list

3 years ago

class of '06 - on now - #13

SmokeyTheBlunt

Senior Member

$16,554 |r POWERFUL

foshomoney said:

I know every republican in the world gonna f!ght this now. You know they wanna fill them jails. These studies are stupid though. All that time and money, guess they never heard of a peace pipe

those types are a dying breed.........

ultra liberal, baby boomers/generation xers are coming into power now............alot of those were your stereotypical flower children and 80's era stoners..........herb crimes arent exactly high priority to alot of these people.......

3 years ago

class of '06 - on now - #14

SmokeyTheBlunt

Senior Member

$16,554 |r POWERFUL

Politricks said:

hey hey smoke weed every day lol..yeah these cops gotta mak quote so speeding tickets and petty theft going to be high on their list

theres a national opiate outbreak(and all the sh*t that comes with it) that should keep them busy enough not to find excuses to fu*k with people to make quota, they all should be busy. in the last two years my city has become the heroin hub in the Midwest, so we've basically been able to smoke with immunity and move freely without any fu*ks being given........

3 years ago

class of '06 - on now - #15

Yung Dilla1254

Damn Misses renae..

$44,038 |r POWERFUL

My state

3 years ago

class of '07 - away - #16

kakish

Senior Member

$11,417 |r POWERFUL

I'm 19 and I smoke 7+ times a day and have been doing so since 16.

3 years ago

class of '06 - on now - #17

SmokeyTheBlunt

Senior Member

$16,554 |r POWERFUL

kakish said:

I'm 19 and I smoke 7+ times a day and have been doing so since 16.

damn, late bloomer, huh?...........

3 years ago

class of '08 - on now - #18

bigshock

Senior Member

$1,122 |r 5014693

SickaMorStyle said:

Anything to dilute or discredit the fact legalizing would be a good thing for these types of numbers in general. Not to long ago if you smoked weed it would "ruin" your life and if your were caught by the police you could go to jail and have your life ruined.

How is it that the economic future is better? I wonder what numbers exactly went up? If any of you have info please post it.

Plus, kids shouldn't be using pot....humans brains are still developing until around the age ranges of 22-25.

Smoked weed with my 19 yr old brother for the first time last night who has aspergers ( similar to ADHD ) and he calmed the fu*k down immediately.

3 years ago

class of '11 - away - #20

GrindPOWER$293

Some Money> No Money.

$11,928 |r POWERFUL

SmokeyTheBlunt said:

theres a national opiate outbreak(and all the sh*t that comes with it) that should keep them busy enough not to find excuses to fu*k with people to make quota, they all should be busy. in the last two years my city has become the heroin hub in the Midwest, so we've basically been able to smoke with immunity and move freely without any fu*ks being given........

keep that heroin sh*t not a fan of lighting the spoon lol not a big smoker but i can puff with the best of them i'm just happy
when the crime rate among the youngsters is down i hope they just stick with weed and yea
the midwest is a drug hub overall lol